Mississippi students rally to support coach ousted after 2-18 record across two seasons

A recently ousted high school football coach in Mississippi has received an enormous amount of support from his former players, many of whom are writing letters to district administrators demanding that he be reinstated.

As reported by the Biloxi Sun Herald, Bay High football coach Benji Foreman was informed he will not be retained last week after two years atop the program. While the team struggled on the field, racking up a 2-18 record across two seasons, Foreman created a lasting bond with his players, to the degree that 64 different individuals wrote letters of support for him and mailed them to district officials.

“He taught us that we deserve more than being average,” the letter says. “He taught us to work hard to be better than average in life and is teaching us to be better in football.”

In a testament to the character his now former players have attributed to him, Foreman has continued to lead the football program even though he now knows that he won’t be around for the 2018-19 school year.

“Really, nothing has changed,” Foreman told the Sun Herald. “We’re still up here working them out and running them. We’re still doing our normal thing. They deserve success. They’ve worked too hard. I’ll continue to do what I do. Whatever happens, happens.”

It’s entirely possible that Foreman could attempt to be reinstated as the football coach, particularly given the surge in support he has received from his players.

For now, he’ll simply know that he has a wealth of support in his back pocket, which is a comforting way to go out if nothing else.